Flu Season Is Revving Up – What Are The Symptoms To Look Out For?

We’ve just survived the barrage of Black Friday emails only to jump straight into the chaos of the Christmas countdown – but alas! Something’s coming to rain on your winter parade, and it’s seasonal flu.

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Yes, the Northern Hemisphere respiratory virus season is well underway, with flu cases across parts of Asia and Europe peaking much earlier than expected. But there are also a lot of other viruses around at this time of year: COVID-19 of course, RSV, and regular old colds as well. So how do you know when you’re coming down with flu?

The short answer is, you kind of don’t – at least not at first. There’s a lot of overlap between all these different respiratory infections, but there are some symptoms that set flu a bit apart. 

Symptoms of flu

According to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), the symptoms of flu in both adults and kids are similar, and include the following: 

• A sudden high temperature
• Body aches
• Tiredness
• Dry cough
• Sore throat
• Headache
• Difficulty sleeping
• Loss of appetite

Some people also get diarrhea and nausea with flu. It’s important to note that this is different from what people colloquially refer to as “stomach flu” – that’s not actually flu at all, but norovirus, a highly contagious but usually short-lived infection. If you have sickness along with all the typical respiratory symptoms, and you don’t feel better after a day or two, it’s probably more likely that you’re looking at real flu.

Another of the hallmarks of flu is that the symptoms tend to come on suddenly. With a cold, for example, you’ll probably find yourself gradually starting to feel bad over the course of a day or two before the full-blown symptoms set in. 

You might also notice one symptom that’s surprisingly missing from the above list: flu is less likely to lead to a runny or stuffy nose than the common cold.

“In general, flu is worse than the common cold, and symptoms are typically more intense and begin more abruptly,” explains the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Colds generally do not result in serious health problems, such as pneumonia, bacterial infections, or hospitalizations. Flu can have serious associated complications.” 

It’s important to seek medical advice if you have severe symptoms such as chest pain, or if you suspect flu in someone with a long-term health condition or weakened immune system, during pregnancy, or in the very young or elderly.

It is possible to test for the flu, so if you seek medical attention this testing may be performed, possibly alongside a COVID test to confirm the type of virus you’re dealing with.

Treatments for flu

The majority of people with flu will recover at home. Flu is very contagious, so it’s best to keep your distance from others wherever possible while you have symptoms. Hand hygiene is important, as ever.

Antibiotics don’t work for flu, since it’s a viral illness (though, if you do develop a secondary bacterial infection, you may be prescribed them later). You pretty much have to let it run its course, but there are things you can do to help yourself feel better, like getting lots of rest, drinking plenty of water, and taking acetaminophen (paracetamol) or ibuprofen.

It’s also not too late to get a flu shot. Unfortunately, this year’s vaccines aren’t a great match for the subclade K strain of virus that’s been causing a particular headache, but that doesn’t mean the vaccine is entirely worthless – even if you catch flu, it could mean you have less of a rough ride.

The 2024-25 season was particularly tough, so there was some hope that this year might be a comparative reprieve. That’s looking less and less likely to be the case. In the UK, the situation has been described as “unprecedented”, with record numbers of patients in hospital right now.

Experts are bracing for a similar situation on the other side of the pond, as flu activity is beginning to increase in the US amid low vaccination rates.

“With so many mixed messages on vaccines this season, a notable percentage of US adults are reporting confusion on guidance around respiratory vaccinations,” says the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, which recently performed a national survey to better understand attitudes towards respiratory illness.

With no sign of these confusing messages subsiding any time soon, others have suggested that citizens take their health into their own hands as much as possible. “This winter, more than ever, we are all on our own in combating flu, cold, RSV, and COVID-19,” writes Dylan Scott for Vox.

In practice, that can look like deciding on your own personal comfort level with mitigations like masking, making plans with family and friends about what to do if someone gets sick, and considering more elderly and vulnerable people you may come into contact with.

There may be a difficult winter ahead – but knowing what symptoms to look for is one way that you can feel a bit more prepared.

The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.